Qitong Li

Qitong Li

she/her

Incoming PhD student in Computer Science at Northwestern University. My research interests lie in embedded sensing systems, biointegrated electronics, and ubiquitous computing, with applications in plant physiology and living systems.

Posts by Collection

portfolio

publications

PhytoBits: A Frugal Bio-Integrated Sensing Toolkit for Computational Plant Science Education

Published in ACM IMWUT (Under Review), 2026

Rapid environmental change and advances in data-driven analysis highlight the need not only to use computational tools, but also to foster understanding of the natural world and inspire creativity. Photosynthesis, the process that fuels nearly all life on Earth, provides a compelling context for such learning, particularly in understanding how plants alter their photosynthetic strategies in response to environmental changes. However, existing tools for studying photosynthesis are often inaccessible or limited to demonstrating its presence, rather than capturing its temporal dynamics. We present PhytoBits, a frugal in vivo gas-exchange sensing toolkit for distinguishing and teaching photosynthetic strategies. PhytoBits combines leaf enclosure with accessible materials, an off-the-shelf CO2 sensor, and a low-cost micro-controller, to support multi-day monitoring of plant gas-exchange in authentic learning and research settings. We validated PhytoBits against research-grade gas-exchange systems, confirming that it identifies C3 and CAM (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) photosynthetic pathways. Using selected plants, students collected and analyzed their own data, increasing their understanding of photosynthesis strategies and confidence in physical computing (system usability scale score: 80.7). In addition to obligate CAM, PhytoBits also resolves facultative CAM and developmental CAM dynamics in plants.

talks

Micro:bit-Based Plant Sensing Workshop

Published:

Led a hands-on workshop demonstrating low-cost embedded sensing using Micro:bit platforms to monitor plant environmental signals. The session introduced physical computing concepts, real-time data collection, and interactive exploration of plant physiological responses.

teaching

Teaching experience 1

Undergraduate course, University 1, Department, 2014

This is a description of a teaching experience. You can use markdown like any other post.

Teaching experience 2

Workshop, University 1, Department, 2015

This is a description of a teaching experience. You can use markdown like any other post.